//My Take: Drinking is moronic

Brendan Pitts, a junior at C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, wrote the following essay. What do you think? Comment below.

Teenage drinking is one of the vilest and most disgusting habits imaginable.

I live in a small town, and I thought that nothing could possibly harm me or any of my friends. I believed they never would, but some of my friends have begun to drink over the last few months.

One of them, who's 18, has been drinking for a couple of years. When his long-time girlfriend broke up with him, things got rough for him. One day, he lost his head and resorted to drinking and smoking his way out of his depression.

The police pulled him over after he had been drinking and arrested him. Now his future has been severely crippled for life.

I am a strong believer in choosing your own way of living, but I want to keep my friends safe, alive and out of jail.

That's why I tried to convince my friends to stop drinking. When they wouldn't listen, I decided I'd go to one of their drinking parties to try to keep everything under control.

Watching them progress from sober to drunk was exceedingly disgusting and disturbing, and made me wish that I had brought a video camera to show them how moronic and revolting the alcohol made them.

At first, when people weren't out of control, I thought the party was actually fun. Then, as they became intoxicated, I quickly found myself running from person to person to try and keep them from drinking more, taking care of those who had passed out, quieting people down, and many other chores. It was chaotic.

I am convinced that if I had not been there to stop further drinking, something terrible would have happened. Drinking without control endangers you, as well as everyone around you.

This party proved to me that things do happen wherever you are and that you are never as safe as you think you are. I was wrong to think nothing could ever happen to me or my friends.

Don't make the same mistake I did. Do not allow yourself or your friends to become wasted and potentially ruin their lives.